UFC News
Kevin Lee calls out Mike Perry, among other welterweights: "I’m ready to fight anybody with the balls to step up"
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2021
Kevin Lee has made it clear he wants to remain on the August 28 card and has called out several welterweights. Lee was set to face Sean Brady on the card but the undefeated prospect was forced out of the fight with a foot infection. Shortly after the news broke, Lee revealed to BJPENN.com he was going to remain on the fight card.
TJ Dillashaw reveals he will only be out three months after successful knee surgery following Cory Sandhagen fight
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2021
TJ Dillashaw will only be out three months after having knee surgery. In Dillashaw’s return fight against Cory Sandhagen, he appeared to hurt his knee in the first round. It threw off his footwork but he still hung in the fight and ended up winning a split decision. However, Dillashaw knew his knee was injured and on Thursday underwent successful surgery.
Nate Diaz continues to mock Conor McGregor, suggests he will show the Irishman how to beat Dustin Poirier
Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021
Nate Diaz continued to mock his UFC rival Conor McGregor while also suggesting that he will show the Irishman how to beat Dustin Poirier. Diaz took to his social media on Monday afternoon to make two tweets mocking both McGregor and Poirier while suggesting he knows what it takes to defeat “The Diamond.”
Dana White gushes over new UFC champion Ciryl Gane: "He's a big, powerful, badass heavyweight who moves like a middleweight"
Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021
UFC president Dana White gushed over new champion Ciryl Gane, calling him “a big, powerful, badass heavyweight who moves like a middleweight.” Gane finished Derrick Lewis in the third round of their UFC 265 main event this past Saturday night in Houston, Texas. It was a dominant performance by the Frenchman, who moved to a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career, including a 7-0 mark in the UFC alone, with the win over Lewis. It was the biggest victory of Gane’s career to date and it earned him the interim heavyweight title, and a fight against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Julianna Pena calls for interim UFC women's bantamweight title with Amanda Nunes sidelined
Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021
Julianna Pena called for the creation of an interim UFC women’s bantamweight title with the current champion Amanda Nunes sidelined. Pena was supposed to fight Nunes in the co-main event of UFC 265 on Saturday night in Houston, Texas, but the fight was postponed until later this year after Nunes tested positive for COVID-19. Nunes’ wife Nina recently took to social media to confirm that the Nunes family is now healthy and negative of COVID-19, but the UFC has still not re-booked this fight. The original plan was for the UFC to get this fight going in December, but as far as Pena goes, that is too long of a wait considering she is ready to scrap now.
Edmen Shahbazyan returns at UFC 268, expected to fight rising contender Nassourdine Imavov
Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan will return to the Octagon at UFC 268 when he faces off with rising contender Nassourdine Imavov. La Sueur first broke the news that Shahbazyan vs. Imavov is on tap for UFC 268, which is scheduled to take place on November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. With the card already featuring a main event rematch between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and rival Colby Covington, the UFC continues to stack the deck for the promotion’s return to “The Big Apple.” With the addition of Shahbazyan vs. Imavov, this fight makes the undercard even stronger as this should be a very exciting matchup.
What's next for Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis after UFC 265?
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2021
In the main event of UFC 265, the interim heavyweight title was up for grabs as Ciryl Gane took on Derrick Lewis. Gane entered the fight with a perfect 9-0 record and only turned pro back in August of 2018. The Frenchman signed to the UFC at 3-0 and has looked unstoppable. Lewis, meanwhile, was riding a four-fight winning streak and was coming off a KO win over Curtis Blaydes.
Vicente Luque wants title shot against Kamaru Usman following incredible finish at UFC 265
Adam D Martin - August 9, 2021
Top contender Vicente Luque wants a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman following his incredible finish at UFC 265. Luque finished Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke in the first round of their welterweight bout on the UFC 265 main card. The win was the fourth in a row for Luque, all by stoppage, and he improved his UFC record to 14-3, with 13 of those wins coming by stoppage. “The Silent Assassin” has become one of the most exciting fighters in all of the UFC, and he is hoping that finishing his opponents in such devastating fashion earns him a title shot.
Sean O’Malley claims a “drunk” Luke Rockhold pestered his father in Montana
Harry Kettle - August 9, 2021
Sean O’Malley has claimed that a drunk Luke Rockhold mocked him during a recent interaction with O’Malley’s father. There are many rising figures within the sport of mixed martial arts but you could argue few are as unique as Sean O’Malley. From his fight style to the manner in which he carries himself, he really does stand out amongst the pack at bantamweight.
Rafael Fiziev criticizes Khabib Nurmagomedov's fighting style: "I was never his fan"
Adam Martin - August 8, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev explained why he did not enjoy watching Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, saying that “I was never his fan.” Fiziev is one of the top strikers in the UFC lightweight division and he just put on a show against veteran Bobby Green at UFC 265. In a three-round war, Fiziev outpointed Green to take home the decision and improve to 4-1 in the UFC. The pair of fighters also took home $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night.” The talented Fiziev is quickly closing in on the top-15 of the UFC lightweight division and could potentially make an even bigger push should he be able to get a fight against one of the top dogs in the division. And even though he’s retired now, there’s no bigger fish in the sea than the former champion Nurmagomedov.
Vicente Luque reacts after submitting Michael Chiesa with a D'Arce choke at UFC 265
Adam Martin - August 8, 2021
Top-ranked welterweight title contender Vicente Luque reacted after submitting Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke at UFC 265. Luque was coming into this fight against Chiesa off of a D’Arce choke victory over Tyron Woodley in his last fight, and he went back to his signature move here against Chiesa at UFC 265. After Luque was able to thwart off an early rear-naked choke submission attempt by Chiesa, he then locked him up with the D’Arce choke for the victory. It was the fourth win in a row for “The Silent Assassin,” and his 10th win in his last 11 fights inside the Octagon. With the victory over Chiesa, Luque improved to 14-3 in the UFC with 13 finishes.
Stephen Thompson believes he can make another UFC title run despite loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264
Adam Martin - August 8, 2021
Despite losing by unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264, Stephen Thompson still believes he can make another welterweight title run. The 38-year-old Thompson was coming into UFC 264 off of back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal, but his striking attack was thwarted by Burns, who was able to take “Wonderboy” down to the ground and control him for the duration of the bout. It was not the most exciting fight, and UFC president Dana White admitted he wasn’t a fan of it. But at the end of the day, Burns got his hand raised and Thompson saw his win streak snap.
Gilbert Burns says he will never fight his "brother" Vicente Luque in the UFC
Adam Martin - August 8, 2021
Top-ranked UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says that he will never fight his “brother” Vicente Luque inside the Octagon. Burns defeated Stephen Thompson last month at UFC 264 to solidify his spot in the top-five at 170lbs, while Luque submitted Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 to announce that he is a top contender, too. Naturally, with both Burns and Luque coming off of big wins and being ranked in the top-five of the stacked UFC welterweight division, there are some fans who would like to see this matchup next. However, with Burns and Luque being good friends and training partners, “Durinho” says he will never fight against “The Silent Assassin.”
Francis Ngannou says Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265
Adam Martin - August 8, 2021
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said that Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265. Ngannou is the UFC heavyweight champion and he was initially unhappy that Dana White booked this interim title fight between Gane and Lewis for UFC 265 given that he just beat Stipe Miocic back in March to win the title. In any case, Ngannou knows that the winner of Gane vs. Lewis will be next up for the belt, and so he watched the fight on Saturday night. Before the fight started, he shared a video where he made the joke that Gane and Lewis were fighting not for a real UFC belt, but rather for the No. 2 contender spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings, since Miocic is still technically the No. 1 contender in the division.
Jose Aldo releases statement following victory over "very tough guy" Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265
Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021
UFC bantamweight star Jose Aldo released a statement following his victory over his opponent, the “very tough guy” Pedro Munhoz, at UFC 265. Aldo won a unanimous decision over Munhoz in the co-main event of the UFC 265 pay-per-view. The Brazilian was able to outstrike his fellow countryman for the majority of the three rounds and take home a clear verdict on the judges’ scorecards. For Aldo, it was his second straight win after defeating Marlon Vera by decision in his last fight. He has won two straight fights now after having lost three straight fights. Despite being 34 years old and about to turn 35, Aldo seems to actually be improving and getting better as a fighter.
Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane UFC heavyweight title unification bout betting odds revealed
Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021
The betting odds have been revealed for the proposed Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane UFC heavyweight title unification bout. Gane defeated Derrick Lewis via third-round TKO to become the new UFC interim heavyweight champion, giving him the next crack at the champ Ngannou. With Gane vs. Ngannou now lined up for their title unification bout, the oddsmakers were quick to release an opening line for the fight. Take a look at the opening odds from BetOnline, which features this heavyweight title bout between Ngannou and Gane opening as a Pick ’em.
Video | Karolina Kowalkiewicz breaks down in tears following UFC 265 loss: "I need to maybe find a new passion in life, and that hurts”
Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021
Karolina Kowalkiewicz broke down in tears following her UFC 265 loss, saying that “I need to maybe find a new passion in life and that hurts.” Kowalkiewicz, who was once the No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s strawweight division, has really fallen on hard times in her MMA career over the last few years. She entered Saturday night’s fight against fellow veteran Jessica Penne on a four-fight losing skid, and that skid is now five straight fights after Penne submitted Kowalkiewicz with an armbar in the first round of their fight. Kowalkiewicz has now lost five straight fights, and taking to her social media following UFC 265, the Pole hinted that she could be finished with MMA.
Dana White confirms Jon Jones will not fight again until 2022
Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021
UFC president Dana White confirmed that former UFC light heavyweight champion-turned-heavyweight Jon Jones will not fight again until 2022. Jones vacated the UFC’s 205lbs belt title last summer while announcing that he would be making the move up to the UFC heavyweight division in 2021. However, Jones got into a contract dispute with the promotion earlier this year in regards to a UFC heavyweight title fight against champion Francis Ngannou. The fight never ended up getting made and instead, it looks like the possibility of Jones vs. Ngannou is something that may not even happen now. That’s because, at UFC 265, Ciryl Gane defeated Derrick Lewis to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion, and now he will be next in line to fight Ngannou.